Telephone attachment.



J. B. BURKHOLDER. TELEPHONE ATTACHMENT.

APPLICATION FILED APB. 3,1909.

Patented Sept. '7, 1909.

f STATES PATENT onirica,

JOSEPH B. BURKHOLDER, or MINNEAroLrs, MINNESOTA.

TELEPHONE ATTACHMENT.

- Speciostion of Letters Estant.

Patented sept. t, reca Application led April 3, 1999. Serial No. 487,714.

To all whom 'it rmar/1,1 concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH B. Bunn- HoLDnR, of Minneapolis, Hennepin county, Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Telephone Attachments, of which the following is a specication.

The object of my inveiition is to'provide an attachment for a telephone mouth piece which can be applied easilyand quickly an Without necessitating hinges or clamping devices of any kind.

A further ole/ject is to rovide an attachment, which, in its norma position, will not in any way interfere with the'use oi' a telephone, but can be, whenever desired, rendered impervious to the passage of sound waves, thus preventing any one on the line rfrom hearing a conversation in the room where the telephone is located:v

@ther objects oi the invention will appear from the following detailed description.

My invention consists generally in various constructions and combinations, all as here ina-iter described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

in the accompanying drawings, forming y part of this specilication, AFigure l is a view of the upper portion of a desk telephone standard with the wall of the mouth piece broken away, illustrating the application ci my invention thereto, Fig. 2 is a iront view. of the attachment showing the periorations or holes therein, llzig. 8 is a detailed view of the mouth piece, showing the means for securing the attachment thereto, Fig. is a sectional view on the line i-X of lvEig. 3, Fie'. 5 is a sectional view on the line Y-Y ofbFig., l.

ln the drawing, 2 represents uV telephone standard and'B a mouth iece ci the usual construction. Within this mouth piece l place a disk d ot any suitable material, such as muslin, paper or a fabric that is capable of carrying asuitable antiseptic material, which will thoroughly disinfect the interior of the mouth piece and at the same time will not interiore with the use oi the telephone.

This disk maybe supported in any suitable ,wa as by a wire 5 extending back to the wa l at the rear of the mouth piece. @ther suitable means may bedprovided tor securing'the disk, if prefer-re The` cover, which I prefer to employ, consists of a metal disk 6,/having a anged edge 7 that is adapted to clasp the end of the mouth piece, and provided 4at intervals with lieirible straps 8, which lie close tothe outer wall of the mouth piece and are adapted to be bent outwardly around a band 9 of ruby ber or other yielding material that is placed on the mouth piece and grips the wall with sucient pressure to hold the straps 8 securely and prevent the cover from becoming accidentally detached, although it may be easily and quickly removed at any time by merely bending back the ends of the straps. This cover is provided with a series of perorations 10 therein and a secondl disk ll is centrally pivoted on the rst-named disk and has holes or perorations 12therein that are adapted to register with the holes in the disk d, when the disk l1 is rotated to a predetermined point. An arm i3 entends through a slot lt in the flanged edge of the disk 6 and by grasping this arm, the operator can rotate the disk ll, so that the perforations of the two disks will register with one another or will be moved out ci register, thus closing the openings in the mouth piece. Generally the disk ll will be leidt in such a position that these holes will register with those inthe disk 6 and the instrument will be ready for use at all times. it sometimes happens however, that when one telephone is in use, the person desires to talk over another line with some one else and does not wish the conversation to be heard by the rst party. l therefore, proj vide dexilole disks l5 and 16 of suitable material, such as rubber, one between the stationary disk and mouth piece and the other secured to the movable disk (see Fig, l), the disks l5 and 16 having periorations, which register with the perforations in the metallic disks. rlhese flexible disks serve to interrupt the sound waves when the rotary disk is moved to its closed position and positively prevent the person at the other end Ynecessary therefore, for the person using the Htelephoi'ie to place his nger on the arm 13 and swing the disk ll so that the perforations will he out oi register and the'ruloloerv disks will be interposed in the path of the sound waves through the perforations, when it will be impossible for any one on the line to hear conversation inthe roomwhere the from the person at the other end of the line.

telephone is located. Ordinarily, the disks l the mouth piece and around which the ends need not be moved to use the instrument.

I have found that the Wire extending from the antiseptic disk back through the mouth 5 piece, aids in transmitting the sound of the -j voice, as Well as serving as a support for the e antiseptic disk.

By placing the cover on the outer normally open end of the mouth piece, I am able to seal the mouth piece against the entrance of dust and disease germs and at the same time form a chamber therein Where the vapor from the volatile antiseptic material Will be conneduntil such time as the openings inthe cover are exposed. This I regard as an important feature of my inventiontas generally in mouth pieces using antiseptic pads, no means are provided for preventing the escape of the vapor from the pad. My device retains the antiseptic vapor Within the mouth piece and insures its penetration into every part thereof.

The disks betweenthe perforated metallic plate of the cover positively deaden the 5 sound of the voice and cut it off completely I have shown the movable disk portion of .i the cover` centrally pivoted and capable of rotation on the stationary disk, but do not Wish to conne myself to this construction,

as it may be arranged to slide, instead of revolve, Without altering materially the character of the deviceor departing 4from the of a cover therefor, said cover comprisin a spirit of my invention.

I claim as my invention 1. The combination, with a stationary telephone mouth piece, of a cover fitting the outer open end thereof, said cover comprising two disks having perforations therein, y one of said disks being stationary and the other disk movable to permit it to be adjusted With its perforations in register with the perforations of the stationary disk, substantially as described.

. just its holes in register or out of 2. The combination, With a telephone permit it to be adjusted with its erforations the other disk and obtain a register of the in register or out 0f register Wi the perforations ofthe stationary ldisk, said cover when closed sealing the mouth piece' against the entrance or escapeof air, and an antiseptic pad arranged Within the mouth piecel said cover, substantially as of said iexible straps are bent, the other disk being movable on said first-named disk to permit its perforations to be mo'ved into or out of register With the perforations in said first-named disk, substantially as described.

4. The combination, With a telephone mouth piece, of a cover for the outer open end thereof and comprising two disks having perforations therein, one of said disks being stationary and the other disk movable, and a disk lof flexible material, also havin perforations therein and movable With said movable disk and adapted to deaden the voice and interru t the assave of the sound Waves when sai mova le disk is adjusted With its holes out of register with those in said stationary disk.

' 5. The combination, With a stationary mouth piece, of a cover tting the open outer end thereof and comprising tWo metallic i disks having perforations therein and rubber disks also perforated, the holesin all of said disks being adapted to register with one another, and one of said metallic disks being movable to permit its holes to be adjuste out of register With the holes in the other disk, and one of said rubber disks being movable With said metallic disk and adapted to interrupt the vibration and passage of sound Waves through the holes in said disks, substantially as described.

6. The combination, with a mouthpiece,

stationary disk having a series of ho es therein, a movable disk centrally pivoted on said first-named ldisk and having perforations to register With those in said firstnamed disk, said first-named disk having a flanged edge and a slot therein, and said movable disk .having an arm projecting through said slot by means of which the operator can rotate said removable disk to adregister With those in the other disk.

7'. The combination, with a telephone mouth piece, of a cover fitting the open outer end of said mouth piece, and com rising perforated disks, one of said disks eing movable to permit its adjustment With respect to into or out of register wit the other disk,

for t-helpurpose specified.

9. The combination, in a telephone, with ing an operating means projecting there- 10 a stationary mouth piece, of a cover having from. means for detachably securing it to the open In Witness whereof, I have hereunto set outer end of said mouth piece, said cover inmy hand this 31st day of March 1909. cluding disks having perforations therein,

one of said disks beingv movable to permit it JOSEPH B' BURKHOLDER' to be adjusted With its perforations in regis- Witnesses: ter or out of register with the perforations RICHARD PAUL,

- of the other disk, and said movable disk hav- C. G. HANSON. 

